Firearm



Dec. 15, 1925- C. A. NELSON FIREARM Dec. 15, 1925- 1,565,384

. C. A. NELSON FIREARM Filed June 12, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIREARM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 12, 1920 FL u Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

ll l T CHARLES A. NELSON, OF UTICA, NEE-V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SAVAGE ARMS CORPORA- TION, OF UTICA, NEW' YORK, A. CGRPURATION OF DELAWARE.

FIREABIJ.

Application filed June 12, 1920. Serial No. 388,457.

1 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnannns A. Nnnson', a citizen of the United States o't America, and a resident of the city of Utica, county of Oneida, and State oi New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to firearms of various types and particularly to take-down repeating firearms in which the breech-bolt has a compound movement, that is to say, in which the rear end of the bolt raised at the end of its forward movement and lowered at the beginning of its rearward movement for looking it and unlocking it in the receiver, and also to take-down guns generally where in the separation or" the two main parts thereof depends on the preliminary manipulation or withdrawal of the magazine tube or longitudinal action bar or equivalent member. The invention consists in certain features of construction and combination as hereinafter described and particularly in means for supporting such compound moving breech-bolts in take-down and in means for preventing take-down while the gun is cocked-and thereby avoiding the possible esplo'sion of a cartridge in the midst of takedown. These features as well as others, hereinafter disclosed, may all be used conjointly and interrelated and they are also capable of independent use unrelated to each other, and are herein independently claimed.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings which form a part of this specification, I have illustrated the best form of my invention of which I am now aware embodied in a repeating shot gun. Fig 1 is an elevation of the major part of this firearm, part of the action handle being broken away to show its locking means. Fig. 2 is a larger elevation, partly in section, of the breech part of the gun, the parts being in breech closing positions and the hammer being down. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the breech-bolt and lock parts in the positions they assume at the beginning ot' the unlocking movement oi the bolt, the receiver again being broken away. Fig. i is an elevation of the receiver mechanism from the opposite side, the breech-bolt hei (Y in its rear-most position. Fig. is a yicw. partly in section. ot the rear the breech-bolt, firing pin, and hammer at the beginning out the unlocking movement of the bolt. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the breech-bolt and hammer on the line VI of F lg. l. Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the inside surface of the left hand wall oi the receiver. Fig. 8 is an elevation of the left hand side of the breech-bolt. Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line XIXI of Fig. 2. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the action bar retainer which is carried by the breechbolt. Fig. 11 is a perspective View of the hammer. Fig. 12 is an enlarged section on the line XlL-Xll of Fig. 1 showing the action handle locking means.

The magazine 1 is in the form of a tube disposed below and parallel. with the barrel 2 and carries an action handle 3 to which is attached the action bar 4; the magazine tube, barrel and action bar all project rearwardly into the receiver 5 which is carried by the stock 6. The magazine tube 1 is carried by the assembly clip 7 and the barrel clip 7 which are fixed to the barrel and embrace the magazine; the barrel and magazine are independently attached to the receiver by mutilated screw-threads, the magazine being rotatable and slidable in the assembly and barrel clips to allow its independent attachment to and detachment from the receiver and accordingly to permit it to lock and unlock the barrel as will be understood. action handle 8 is arranged to slide on the tube 1 and thereby the action bar 4 operates the mechanism within the receiver 5 (with which it is detachably connected) to throw out a fired shell, cock the gun, and transport another cartridge to the barrel. The magazine tube 1 is presumed to contain suitable mechanism to feed the cartridges carried therein to the receiver as the mechanism therein will receive them. The two parts of the gun for take-down purposes comprise respectively the stock portion including the stock 6 and the receiver 5 and its contained mechanism, and the barrel portion including The ing shoulder S are produced by overlapping the two metal shells or sleeves forming the lining of the action handle. A second stop 9 on the magazine is so located with respect to the stop 1 as to allow the ready rotation of the overlap between the two metal sleeves; this second or rear stop 9 cooperates with shoulder 8 to lock the action handle against substantial sliding movement on the magazine except when the mutilated threads in the magazine tube interlock with the co-operating threads in the receiver, at which time the slot 9 in the overlap allows the action handle to slide freely over the stop 9. The mechanism at the forward end of the magazine for locking the magazine tube against rotation, and for otherwise gov er'ning its movements is disclosed and claimed in a co-pending application and will not require description because various other types of magazine tube locking mechanism may be used inits stead. In taking down this gun, the magazine tube 1 is first rotated a part turn; this rotation notonly disengages its mutilated screw threads from those on the receiver but also displaces stop 9 from the slot 9 and thereby locks the action bar and action handle against sliding motion on the tube. A longitudinal pull on the magazine next slides it in the clips 7 and 7 until its rear end is removed from the receiver, and at the same time, by the engagement of 9 with S, withdraws the action bar 4-. from the receiver. The barrel can now be removed by, first, a partial rotation and, second, a straight pull away from the receiver. The action bar 4t is carried in a longitudinal slot (77) in the left hand receiver wall and engages with and operates certain mecha nism in the receiver through its transverse lug 10 riding in the cam slot 1']v in. the breech-bolt 12; the lug 10 also supports the rear of the breech-bolt when the gun is as sembled; the forward end of the bolt may be supported in. any suitable manner,-for example, in the manner later described. The slot 11 is open at its forward end to receive the lug 10, and toward the rear extends upwardly in order that the action bar may de press and direct the breech-bolt in the wellknown manner. The breech-bolt carries within it the firing pin 13, together with its spring 141 surrounding the forward end of the firing pin and the cross-pin17 extending through a slot 18 in the firing pin to limit its rearward movement. The breech-boltis provided at the rear end of its upper surface with the usual oblique recoil shoulder which is adapted to occupy the recoil shoulder notch 16 in the upper wall of the receiver 5 when the breech is closed and thus transmit the recoil shock to the receiver. The gun is opened by the rearward movement of the action bar 4;. which first depresses the rear of the breech-bolt 12 so that ward end there are provided the usual ex- 7:

tractor fingers 19 and 20, which, in quite the well known manner, are so spring-pressed as to grip the rim of a cartridge shell 21 and withdraw it from the chamber. These fingers may also assist in supporting the breech- St bolt as will later appear. A cartridge ejector 22, seated in a slot 23 provided therefor in the left hand receiver wall, urges its shoulder 5 (Fig. l) toward the breech-bolt space;

the longitudinal slot 29 in the left hand Wall 85 of the breech-bolt 12 permits the breech-bolt to pass the shoulder of the ejector as the breech-bolt is passed back and forth in the receiver. For preventing take-down while the gun is cocked and the possible consequences thereof, and also to insure that the auxiliar 1 support for the breech-bolt which I have alluded to above shall be effective during and after take-down, the invention consists in. a retainer controlled, directly or indirectly, by the firing means, and so organized therewith or with the other parts as to obstruct the performance of some one of the preliminary operations necessary to be performed before the barrel proper can be disengaged from the receiver or stock. Such retainer may be organized in the gun mecha nism for the purpose stated in a great variety of ways, all within the purview of this invention, and as herein illustrated it is di- 2 rectly related to the action bar, this being a member which must be withdrawn previous to taking down the particular gun shown. The retainer marked 30, separately shown in Fig. 10, is mounted in the lower side of the breech-bolt, with its flat end, having the slot 32, occupying a vertical slot in the block and is held in place by the pin 33. The projection 34 at its other end is supported on a. shoulder on the block, and a spring 35 urges l it downwardly so as to cause the bevelled projection 31 to occupy aposition directly in front of the exit from the cam slot 11 of the bolt. -The action bar lug 10 must push by permits such movement of the retainer as is necessary to allow the action bar lug to escape from the bolt slot. lVhen the firing pin is in its rearward position as when the gun is cocked, the notch 38 is out of registry with projection 87 and the pin thereby prevents upward movement of the retainer. Since the magazine 1 cannot be withdrawn from the receiver unaccompanied by the action bar (for the rotation of the magazine to releasing position causes stop 9 to lock the action handle against sliding thereon), it follows that only the very first step may be taken toward take-down while the hammer is cocked, namely the rotation of the magazine to release position, but neither the action bar nor the magazine can be withdrawn until after the firing means is down and all possibility of accidental firing eliminated.

The retainer serves also a further purpose. Its forward end or nose 36 occupies a position in which it is engaged by the rearmost cartridge in the magazine and serves to control the rearward movement thereof during the operation of reloading. \Vhile the gun is locked up in position for firing (Fig. 2) nose 36 prevents the rearward escape of cartridges from the magazine under the force of the well known magazine spring (not shown). As the breech-bolt is moved rearwardly to reload the retreat of nose 36 with the bolt allows the last cartridge to retreat to the cartridge carrier (Fig. for transfer to the barrel on the return of the bolt; the remaining cartridges are held in the magazine during this period by any suitable mechanism as will be understood by those skilled in the art. No cartridges are carried in the receiver therefore during the tiring of the gun. This feature of the retainer is the subjectmatter of a co-pending application and is a detail which may be omitted so far as the retainer function is concerned.

Referring now to the auxiliary support of the breech-bolt it will be understood that the bolt follows a curve-d path under the influence of the action bar and that at the end of its forward movement, its rear end is tilted upwardly to engage its shoulder 15 with the notch 16. The inner faces of the receiver are provided with a number of grooves and projections which guide and support the bolt during its travel and also when in its closed position. The left hand wall of the receiver of the gun is provided with an inwardly projecting stud (Fig. a) on which the surface 46 (Fig. 8) of the breech-bolt rides at the beginning of its rearward movement. This stud also serves as a fulcrum or pivot on which the breechbolt rocks as its lower end is lowered for unlocking. or as such end is raise-d for locking. llhile the breech is closed, the forward end of the bolt is carried by this stud ,gun is taken down however, the lug is and is thereby supported against the clownward thrust component of the recoil im pact on the bolt. As the breech-bolt is with drawn frun this forward position, it leaves the stud and its forward end is then supported by one or both of the extractors 19 and 20 riding in slots in the receiver walls. One of such slots is shown at T6 in Fig. 7. The upraising of the rear end of the bolt, at the end of its forward movement is done by the action lug 10 engaging the forward side of the bolt slot 11 and normally the bolt is supported by this lug,-when the not present and at such times I provide the auxiliary support referred to, and the same consists of a member so arranged that it moves to supporting position whenever the other parts of the gun are in that predetermined position in which take-down is permitted. In its preferred and simplest form his auxiliary supporting member is formed on or as a part of the firing pin actuator illustrated by the hammer 50, which is pivoted on a pin 51 in the receiver below the breechbolt- 12 when the latter is rearward. A plunger rod 52 acting on the hammer carries the hammer-spring which, when the trigger 58 is pulled, throws the hammer to its forward or down position, that is, against the breech-bolt and firing pin 12 in the usual manner. This conventional type of hammer is correlated with the breech-bolt for the purpose stated by providing it with a projection on its striking face, which projection is divided by a vertical slot to form two lug parts 53 so that the lug does not rub on the firing pin while the bolt rides over the hammer to cock it and no pressure is exerted on the pin by the hammer during such movement. hen the hammer is forward or down the upper curved sides of these lug parts 53 engage or stand close to the rear lower edge of the breech-bolt 12 where they support and retain the bolt in its closed position as shown in Fig. 2 and independently of the support provided by the action bar lug 10. The action bar retainer 30, as before explained. requires that the hammer be down at the time of take-down and it follows that the auxiliary support represented by the lug 53 is in its supporting position beneath the breech-bolt when the lug 10 has been withdrawn, in consequence of which the bolt is securely retained against displacement in the receiver while the barrel is detached, and is always ready for immediately reassembly. A lug such as 53, on the hammer constitutes a simple and effective means to accomplish the various results above explained but it will be apparent that such results are merely the functions of coacting surfaces on hammer and bolt respectively and that such surfaces may take various forms and be constituted by lugs on either member, or may even coact through intervening parts whereby they are brought into coacting engagement by the operation of some member of the tiring means to produce the said results.

The drawings show certain other mecha nism, not directly coacting with the parts constituting the invention here claimed, as for instance the carried with the mechanism 57 by which the breech-bolt raises it to transfer a fresh cartridge to the barrel chamber, and an action bar lock 59 to stand in the rear of and block movement of the action bar t when the hannner is cocked and the breech-bolt forward; this action bar lock 59 may be operated manually by the finger piece 60 and is automatically controlled by the recoil lock Glen the hammer cngagingits shoulder (52. The general function of these parts is well known. and can be performed by instrumentalities well known in the art on which account they do notrequire description; the novel features thereof are not however disclaimed but are made the subject of co-pending applica tions.

Claims 1. A take-down firearm comprising a receiver, a breech-bolt, a firing pin actuator, and means for normally holding the breechbolt elevated in the receiver but being with drawn from the bolt when the arm is taken .receiver, characterized by the hammer being provided with a lug disposed beneath the breech-bolt when the hammer is down for holding the bolt elevated when the action bar is withdrawn in take-down.

3. The firearm of claim 1 further characterized by means preventing, until said actuator is down, the withdrawal of the means normally supporting the bolt.

l. The firearm of claim 2 further char acterized by means controlled by the hammer preventing the withdrawal of the action bar until the hammer is down.

5. A take-down firearm comprising a breech-bolt, firing means, and means for normally holding the breech-bolt elevated in the receiver, but being withdrawn from the bolt when the arm is taken down, character ized by means to hold the breech-bolt ele vated during the take-down of the arm said means being actuated to holding position by the falling of the firing means.

6. The firearm of claim 5 further characterized by means preventing the withdrawal of the means normally holding the boltelevated until the second mentioned bolt supporting means is effective.

7. A take-down firearm comprising a breech-bolt, firing means, and means for normally holding the breech-bolt elevated in the eceiver, but being withdrawn from the bolt when the arm is taken down, characterized by means to hold the bolt elevated, said last mentioned means being actuated to its bolt-holding position by the actuation of mechanism of the arm to a position desired prelin'iinary to take-down.

8. A tire-arm comprising a breech-bolt, a firing pin therein, a hamn'ierpivoted below the path of the breech-bolt, and means for moving the breech-bolt vertically and to the rear to move the hammer towards cocking position, characterized by the hammer ata point below its point of contact with the tiring pin, being provided with a cam surface engaged by the breech-bolt as the latter is moved down preparatory to movement to the rear, so that the hammer is moved away from the firing pin as the gun is opened.

9. A firearm comprising a breech-bolt provided with a recoil shoulder on its upper surface to lock the breech-bolt, a hammer pivoted below the path of the b1'eechb0lt, and means to move the breech-bolt down wardly to release said shoulder and to move the breeclrbolt rearwardly, the firearm being characterized by the hammer being provided with a cam projecting from its face and below the breech-bolt over which the breech-bolt rides, and by said cam being divided by a vertical slot to provide clearance for the firing pin, whereby the hammer is withdrawn from the firing pin as the breeclrbolt begins its movements from firing position.

10. The combination with a take-down firearm, including the firing mechanism thereof, of a lock to lock the gun against taking down, the action of said lock being controlled by said firing mechanism.

11. A take-down firearm characterized by means to lock the take-down of the arm, said means being released by the firing means when the latter is in its down position.

12. A take-down firearm comprising a barrel portion which includes a member substantially parallel with the barrel and projecting into the receiver to locl: the barrel portion against removal therefrom, characterized by means standing in the path of movement of said member to lock said member against removal from the receiver, said means being released by the firing means when the latter is in its down position to permit the withdrawal of said member from the receiver.

13. A take-down firearm comprising a barrel portion which includes a member substantially parallel with the barrel and proill.

'ectin into the receiver to lock the barrel bein characterized b means for lockim o m y is against removal therefrom, characterized by means standing in the path of movement of said member to lock said member against removal thereot from the receiver, and means operable when the firing pin actuator is moved to its down position to release the first mentioned means to permit the withdrawal of said member from the receiver.

14. Atake-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, a barrel portion detachable therefrom and including an action bar and a magazine, a firing pin actuator, and a breech-bolt in the receiver, the breech-bolt being provided with a recess open at its forward end to receive said action bar to actuate the mechanism within the receiver, said firearm being characterized by a movable member carried by the breech-bolt standing in the path of movement of a part on said action bar to prevent the withdrawal of the action bar from the breech-bolt and by another member carried by the breechbolt standing in the path of movement of the first mentioned member to prevent the actuation of the same to release the action bar, said second mentioned member being held by the firing pin actuator, when the latter is down, in such a position as to permit the actuation of the first mentioned member to permit the withdrawal of the action bar from the recess.

15. A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiv r, a barrel portion detachable from the receiver and including a tubular magazine and an action bar supported thereon, a hammer, a breech-bolt in the receiver provided with a slot open at its forward end to receive said action bar to actuate the mechanism within the receiver, and a firing pin in the breech-bolt, the firearm being characterized by a movable member carried by the breech-bolt and a spring urging said member into the path of movement of a part of said action bar, and by the firing pin being in the path of movement of said member to restrain the movement thereof to an action bar releasing position and being provided with a notch to receive said member to permit the withdrawal of the action bar when the firing pin is advanced by the hammer.

16. A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, a receiver mechanism in cluding firing means, a barrel and a magazine respectively attached to the receiver and one of them acting as a maintaining member to maintain the attachment of the other to the receiver, an action bar engaging the receiver mechanism and normally movable for operating the same, and means for locking said maintaining member to the actionbar. whereby the action bar and maintaining member are required to move together to releasing position, the firearm the action bar against withdrawal from said receiver mechanism until the firing means is down.

17. A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, receiver mechanism including firing means, a barrel rotatably attached to the receiver, and a magazine attached to the barrel and extending into the receiver and thereby maintaining the attachment of the barrel to the receiver, the firearm being characterized by means looking the magazine in the receiver until the firing means is down.

18. A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, receiver mechanism ineluding firing means, a barrel provided with screw threads cooperating with screw threads on the receiver to afiix the barrel thereto, a magazine tube carried by the barrel and extending into the receiver and thereby preventing the rotation of the barrel to unlocking position, means to hold the magazine in the receiver, an action bar normally slid-able on the magazine and engaging with said mechanism to operate the same, and means operable with the release or" said means holding the magazine in the receiver to lock the action bar to the magazine against sliding thereon, the firearm being characterized by means for locking the action bar to said mechanism until the firing means is down.

A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, receiver mechanism including firing means, and a barrel portion extending into the receiver and removable therefrom in take-down including a barrel, a magazine tube slidable and rotatable thereon and an action bar normally slidable 011 the magazine, the barrel and magazine being provided respectively with threads cooperating with threads on the receiver for ailining the barrel and magazine respectively to the receiver, the action bar engaging said receiver mechanism for operating the same and being provided with a shoulder adjacent the magazine, and the magazine being provided with a shoulder which is moved to the rear of the shoulder on the action bar by the rotation of the magazine tube to aposition disengaging its mutilated threads, the firearm being characterized by means for locking the action bar to said mechanism until the firing means is down.

20. A take-down repeating firearm comprising a receiver, receiver meenanism including a breech-bolt containing a firing pin, a barrel, and an action bar parallel with the barrel, the breech-bolt being provided with a slot, open at the forward end, to receive the action bar for operating the receiver mechanism, the firearm being characterized by an action. bar retainer carried by the breechbolt and comprising a part projecting clownwardly into the path of movement of a part of the action bar to retain the action bar in the breech-bolt slot, one of said parts being cam shaped to allow the said part on the action bar to elevate the action bar retainer whereby the action bar may be withdrawn from the breech-bolt slot, and the action bar retainer also comprising another part extending upwardly to the firing pin whereby the latter may prevent the elevation of the action bar retainer to release the action bar from the breech-bolt slot, the firing pin being provided with a notch to receive said upwardly extending part when the firing pin forward to release the action bar.

:21. A. firearm comprising a breech-bolt provided with a recoil shoulder on its upper surface to lock the bolt in firing position, means for holding the forward end of the bolt elevated in the receiver, an action bar operatively engaging the rear of the bolt to normally support the same and elevate and depress the same to lock and unlock the bolt, and means for supporting the rear of the bolt when the action bar is withdrawn, the actuation of the firing mechanism to fire the gun preparing the supporting means to sup port the bolt and said means becoming active as the action bar is Withdrawn and holding the bolt in substantially the position in which the action bar leaves it, whereby the bolt is in position to receive the action bar when the latter is returned.

22. The firearm of claim 21, including means to prevent the withdrawal of the action bar until the firing mechanism is in firing position.

23. A firearm comprising a breech-bolt provided with a recoil shoulder on its upper surface to lock the bolt in firing position, means for holding the forward end of the bolt elevated in the receiver, an action bar operatively engaging the rear of the bolt to support the same and elevate and depress the same to lock and unlock the bolt, and means to support the rear of the bolt when the action bar is withdrawn, said means becoming active when the firing mechanism is actuated to firing position.

24. The firearm of claim 23, in which the firing means includes a pivoted hammer and the latter constitutes the said supporting means.

25. A take-down firearm comprising a breech-bolt, firing means, and means for normally holding the breech-bolt elevated in the receiver but being withdrawn from the bolt when the arm is taken down, characterized by a member for holding the bolt elevated during take-down, said member being actuated to its bolt holding position on the actuation of the firing mechanism to a position desired preliminary to take-down.

26. A firearm comprising a breech-bolt movable downward preliminary to its movement to the rear, a firing pin therein, a hamnrer pivoted below the path of the breechbolt, and means for moving the breech-bolt to the rear to move the hammer toward cocking position, characterized by the hammer being provided with a surface, below its point of contact with the firing pin, for en-v gagement the breech-bolt as the latter is moved downward to more the hammer away from the firing pin preliminary to the rearward movement of the bolt.

27. A firearm comprising breech-bolt movable to the rear to open the breech and. also movable at an angle to such rearward movement preliminary to the rearward movement, a hammer and means to move the breech-bolt, characterized by means being provided, actuated by the breech-bolt in its said preliminary movement at an angle to its rearward movement, to move the hammer away from the firing pin during said preliminary movement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification. I V 7 7 CHARLES A. NELSUN. 

